Boring Little Man
by robotdragonx1
Summary: The witch has a few drinks with the worst pilot in the Black Knights, and life just kinda does it's thing. Same AU as Whatever It takes.


Zero had just disappeared. Like, no shit.

It was yet another mission. Things were going fine, and then they really weren't. That fluffy princess's knight had him at gunpoint, and then there was a massive explosion and then zilch. Nada. Nothing. The Black Knights were left hanging without their leader to guide them, and turmoil quickly engulfed a submarine off the coast of Area 11…

* * *

"This entire organization is built around Zero!" Tohdoh maintained his gaze as Tamaki listened in. Tension had been building since this afternoon's events and the submarine's crew was still trying to figure out where to set course.

"It's not a group without members. The way you speak you sound like a typical Britannian to me!" Diethard frowned and looked out to the rest of the Black Knights. If Mr. Shinichiro had his way, he would've cut that man's massive horn of hair off long ago. Seriously, that thing looked stupid! No wonder he had issues..

"...We have followers under every ideology under the sun gathered here, yet how is it that they can cooperate and work towards the same goal!? Because of the results they get!? Tell me, who is it that gets us those results?" The men continued to debate and Ohgi attempted to cool the heated glares between Diethard and Tohdoh. Tamaki found himself nearly reaching out to stop him. The guy was cool and all, but a little soft to be stepping between guys like that (if you asked him).

And then she walked right in. That lady friend of Zero's that he saw by his side all the time. Her yellow eyes rolled at the sight of the arguing men. "Oh alright, then I'll tell you. He's very much alive," She sighed matter-of-factly.

Tohdoh could only redirect his glare to her. "We have no time for your wishful thinking."

"The information is true. I simply know it." And with that, he had enough of this crap. Tamaki had heard that little voice inside of him urging to rip this girl a new one and now was that time.

"Oh, so you're an oracle now? I told you to shut your trap and get some training on a Knightmare you dumbass!" And to think, the nerve on this girl! Cee Cee or whatever the hell they called her spun around with that cocky little smile on her face.

"Dumbass? Oh really? It's been ages since anyone has referred to me in such a rude manner.."

With the entire mess hall watching them, Tamaki knew he had to trounce any rebellious attitude (besides the obvious) right then and there. "Like Zero's mistress has any right to get uppity with us!"

That girl...With a clever smile of a princess who got everything she ever wanted, that girl looked at him and said. "I said you were wrong. You're a man who only has vulgar ideas..."

That was it.

Fucking really?

"YOU'VE GOT A LOT OF NERVE TALKING TO YOUR SUPERIOR LIKE THAT!" And Ohgi, god bless his soul, suggested the submarine move out of detection range. That still didn't dull the daggers that Tamaki found himself staring into that lime-green bitch.

He kept glaring at her as she continued down the passageway, not even a glance back as she began talking to herself about "that boring little man."

"What's the matter Tamaki? She get on your nerves?" Inoue giggled. She was a good kid, and as much as he felt like chewing her out for it, Tamaki just shook his head as the pass-down of their plans went about the room.

"She's just crazy. That's all." He looked back down the passageway and took notice of how tightly her white robe clung to her..."Nah. Never in a million years." He finished his meal, stood his watch, then went to sleep cursing himself for coming up with a clever response only hours later.

* * *

China honestly wasn't as bad as he thought it'd be. Despite the crappy conditions they talked about at least the palace was nice! Oh wait...Ouch Well, anyway, the Black Knights were well-treated to the cuisine and best drinks they could offer the night before the wedding. They had about another three hours before planning for the big wedding would begin. Crazy night overall. Zero played a chess game against that Schneizel guy, almost got stabbed by some crazy kid.

So, Tamaki was left all alone once again. The night had started with some of the bridge bunnies, Ohgi, and even Tohdoh and himself all walking around having a good time. Then Tohdoh left with Chiba for a bit, one of the girls had a technical question for Ohgi and then the other two just kinda got lost in the crowd.

"Here I go, again on my own.." Tamaki mumbled, taking a sip from his bottle as he watched the rest of the Black Knights, singing some song he heard that one time while tapping into Britannian radio. Their taste wasn't so bad to be honest.

He took another sip, and once again thought over his strategies as a pilot. Despite the elephant in the room, Tamaki still held his skills in high regard. The problem was, lasting longer than the first few minutes...

Making sure no one was paying attention to him, he pulled out a red crayon and took a small napkin at his table. "Alright, so, if I lower myself at this angle I can dodge an initial volley of fire. But then again, they could...Ah crap! It's my reaction time!" He slammed down the bottle and glared at it. Despite being a favorite past time when the drums of war weren't present, Mr. Shinichiro now found himself wishing he hadn't taken up that dare from his cousin all those years ago.

He sighed. "Eh, to hell with it. We're all going to go someday I suppose." Some of that amber elixir was still foaming around in there.

"To Inoue, Naoto and...All the others not here." A weight fell on his chest as he finished his drink. To be honest, he could be seeing them all again as soon as tomorrow, God willing. Somebody decided to sit down next to him.

Well, holy shit. Now, to be fair, she was a very lovely lady. And she was also Zero's mistress. Half-drunk from one of the few times off he had, Tamaki turned his gaze to this lady and shook his head.

"And what exactly are you doing?"

"Sitting down. It's a common thing for humans to do when eating. I know you might have some trouble grasping that." His fists clenched and while the desire to just deck her right in front of everyone was strong, he knew the reaction that he'd get out of Zero and wasn't really having it.

"Fine. Sit down. And what have you got there?" The girl rolled her eyes and didn't even bother to look at him.

"It's pizza. Nothing special, just a little cheese."

"You don't mind sharing, do you?"

She gave him a look like he had lobsters crawling out of his ears. He waved her off. "Forget about it. I'm a little drunk."

But instead of looking away from him or being all condescending like she tended to be, this girl just put a finger to her lips and gave a sly grin. "Actually...I think I'd be willing to share if you played a little game with me..."

"A game?"

She pointed to the microphone on the stage where Zero addressed what would happen tonight through some weird symbolic speech that everyone was supposed to memorize the codes for. Tamaki hadn't and was left for a half hour wondering why Zero was suddenly so adamant about vanilla pudding and gardening tools. "Go up there and sing your favorite song from the radio. Since you were so good at it in the men's locker room."

"Jeez, how long were you listening to me anyway!?'

"Long enough," She chirped, before opening the box."Anyone on the ship could've heard those chords." Having not bothered to get something to eat, Tamaki found himself an easy victim to the waft of fresh pizza at the hands of a girl who actually really looked nice in a Chinese dress.

"So? How about it?" He would regret this decision years from now when Ohgi recorded it on his phone and kept the video file safe across different platforms all for the sake of embarrassing him.

Tonight would even be mentioned by a professor who would write a book about their activities in this region at this point in history. But he really wanted that pizza. "Okay, okay. My favorite song? My choice?" She nodded, already taking a bite.

I'll share half of it. Four pieces, no more, no less." She didn't seem to be lying to him, and should something go wrong he could bring it up to Zero. At least, he hoped.

"Alright. Half of the pizza?" She nodded. No withheld intentions or sly smirks on her face. Alright, perhaps this could be some sort of revenge against that little moment they had in the submarine. A lot of the younger guys lost their discipline after that day.

"Welp! Here I go!" Tamaki stood up, shaking the table with his knees as he stumbled up to the stage and a proud smile crossed his face. Nobody really knew what to think as he walked up there. Tohdoh was about ready to go up there and stop him from making a fool of himself while Diethard cursed under his breath as he noticed Ohgi snatching his own personal copy of the moment from his phone after realizing he hadn't brought his own camera.

"Ladies and gentlemen! We've been working hard and hoping to get Zero back right!?" Stunned silence and few nods of agreement. Tough crowd.

"Since we're about to uh...uh..." Realizing that virtually anyone could be listening in, Tamaki threw in the code words he'd heard just a while ago. "Get some pudding in our fountains, but why not have a little song before we begin?" An invisible conflict emerged in the minds of the crowd, dividing them between the urge to run up there and stop him, and the urge to let him sing his "song" and see what came of it.

Either way, the Black Knights did nothing to stop the performance that lasted for the next two minutes and thirty-one seconds. "ANY WAY YOU WANT IT, THAT'S THE WAY YOU NEED IT-" Tamaki proceeded to clap and scat guitar riffs while shredding riffs into the air around him.

And, to the surprise of the Black Knights, it was really good! He had the tune perfect and his voice matched every note from the actual song. Even his accent seemed to all but disappear only to compliment the passion and power behind his voice. Every clap in sync with the drums.

Once he finished, the lime-green mistress stood dumbfounded by the power in his voice. Smug grin lighting up his face, Tamaki trotted down the steps of the stage and gave high-fives as he walked back to the table.

"Now, if you'll excuse me..."

She shrugged and pushed the box to him. "Have at it. Where did a cretin like you learn to sing like that?"

"Psh, you think all I want to do is drink and blow up my frames?"

She stared at him. "Bad question, alright?"

He sat down, letting the sauce, cheese, and bread fill his watery mouth. Together, they watched the Black Knights enjoy their time in the warm light of the palace. "So tell me, what exactly do you want to be, Mr. Shinichiro?"

Well, now this was going in a direction he hadn't expected. Then again they rarely ever spoke, and he hardly ever saw her even out here with everyone to begin with. So why not?

"Do you really want to know?" She nodded, taking a sizable bite of her slice and swallowing it pretty quickly. Like damn. Slow down or you're gonna choke. "Alright...The truth is, I want to be a Bureaucrat." She went to take another bite and the girl clenched her teeth and seethed little bits of laughter. "WHAT!? YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT!?"

"I just think it's strange that someone so brash would be interested in working for the needs of others." He threw up his hands, not quite caring about the odd stares he was getting. At this point, Tamaki didn't have much to be worried about.

"Well, now you know. I mean, that's why we're all here, isn't it?"

This girl shrugged her shoulders and leaned back in the chair. "I suppose. You don't seem too worried about getting sleep..."

"I had a good sleep before this. 'Woke up to the party and had my 'morning coffee.'" Zero's mistress gazed at the empty bottle he was holding up.

"Hmm...Hold on, I'll be back." Against any of his expectations, Tamaki watched as she walked over to the champagne table, took two glasses off and carried that stuff on over. "You got some time?" She sighed.

The Japanese insurgent just shrugged his shoulders. Champagne with a pretty girl. He'd only had that experience once in his life. Fuck it. "Sure, why not?"

* * *

A few empty glasses later, the party had somewhat died down, but that didn't stop the pair from watching the fireworks as they burst clouds of colorful light above them. Somewhere, the royal family were staying up a little too late getting ready for their empress to be sold off to Britannian royalty.

"So...You're like...Immortal?" The girl swayed in the evening breeze, her eyes half-open from the alcohol and perhaps the late hour. She nodded. "Over five hundred. Can you believe that?"

Tamaki just chuckled to himself. This girl was funny! All this time she was hiding it by being rude and acting like kind of a bitch, but she was hilarious! "And you really hung out with Benjamin Franklin? _The_ Benjamin Franklin?"

Zero's mistress shook her head. "That man buckled as soon as the Duke presented him with control of Massachusetts and the entire northern region of colonies. It was embarrassing."

"What a piece of shit, am I right? I know Zero wouldn't do such a thing, though! That's my guy!"

She gave him a half-smile. "He is ambitious, I'll give him that. And perhaps a bit over his head."

"That's not the way to go about this rebellion now. Maybe we'll all be the rulers of Japan afterward!"

Her yellow eyes leaned to him, and the jovial nature of this night put some edge on this glare she was giving him. "Another bad one, I'm sorry, okay!?" They kept watching the fireworks, Tamaki noting to himself how they kind of looked like explosions, but with a prettier twist on them.

"So how did you meet a guy like Zero? Some night club back in Japan or something?"

She shook her head, a soft smile crossing her lips. "No, no. I was an experiment for the Britannian government and managed to escape during the chaos at Shinjuku."

"Oh shit! You were there on that day too!?"

She shrugged, taking another good sip from her glass. "Small world, isn't it? He found me there and...Long story short he got this crazy idea to change things after what he witnessed..."

"Ya sure there isn't more to that story? Ambition can only go so far, just saying."

"Amen, brother," They gave a toast, and she sighed again. "It's a lot of personal stuff for him. Protecting people he cares about and all that. As if he can do it without consequences. That stupid boy..."

"Boy? You're making my dude sound kind of young..."

She shook her head. "I've said too much."

"Not too interested in talking about your lover?" She sniggered.

"My...What?"

"He's...Not?"

The girl shook her head, looking him dead in the eye and stating "He's taken. Though I don't know those lovebirds are going to get through this."

Tamaki winced and found himself wondering how Zero could remain so stoic. "So why are you following him then?"

She shrugged her shoulders, twirling the liquid in her glass and pondering that question herself for a minute. Tamaki let her wait. "I guess...He could be the key to something that happened. Way back when. I don't know, really."

"Like, he could solve some issue you've got?"

"I guess.." She sighed. Despite how funny her story was, about witnessing history over the centuries, the way she so seriously spoke of it was...Uncanny.

"Uh, I never got a chance to catch it, but what's your name?" The girl seemed a little shocked by the question. As if he was seriously the first person on earth to ask her. "Is something wrong?"

"No...No I'm just being ridiculous. You can call me uh...Celica. Just Celica." Soon the conversation switched to how he got into the business of rebelling against the empire. Then favorite drinks, then bitching about work.

"Hey uh...I'm sorry about that little comment back there in the sub..." She raised an eyebrow at him, turning back to the fireworks and not saying anything for a moment, then chuckling.

"Don't worry about it. I've heard far, far worse." As time crept onward, the bottle kept getting emptier and emptier, and as much as both of them had a sense that they were going to have to head back soon, neither of them really acknowledged the shrinking numbers of their comrades or even the slow dying down of the festival that night. All Mr. Shinichiro could remember from that night, was a touch, the taste of the finest wine, and warmth.

* * *

He woke up, groggy, dry-mouthed, and groaning and at the whim of his cellphone. He reached over to the small table to the right of his bed and grabbed it. "Rrrgh, what is it!?"

"Where the hell are you, Tamaki! Everyone is mustering and the four holy swords are already in position! What are you doing?"

Tamaki squinted his eyes, the dark ceiling above him serving as a film projector for the thoughts going through his hazy mind. "Four holy swords...Why the hell..." It clicked a little too fast for his liking, and immediately he darted up. "AW CRAP!"

"'Aw crap,' what?"

"N-Never mind I..." Just before he could make up some excuse about getting lost on the way, he'd gotten a good look of the room around him thanks to his eyes adjusting so quickly to the darkness. A bottle on the carpet, the sheets around him all messy...A bundle of clothes just peeping out from the end of the bed...He turned to his right just to make sure it hadn't happened again, and...It did. "Ah, shit.."

"You're not making me feel any better!" He grasped the phone and rattled off some kind of comment about needing to feed his laundry before clasping it shut. The nude girl next to him sat up, blinking underneath her neon-green bangs.

"So, I see it's starting..."

Tamaki exhaled, "This is really bad..."

"I don't see why."

"This is REALLY, REALLY bad..."

She just rolled her eyes, got up out of bed, and waltzed on over to her uniform and underwear in her birthday suit. Tamaki shouted curses to himself as he covered his eyes. Celica was a looker, yeah but she still seemed kinda...Young? A bit too young for a guy his age. And it was this fact that sent a shiver down his spine as he saw his own body and manhood slide out of the bed. "Oh quit whining. You liked it."

"Sh-shut up! That's not how kids your age should act!" She shook her head, slipping her panties on first.

"I told you already. I'm immortal. Did the alcohol really wipe your brain that quickly?"

Tamaki heaved a breath, annoyed as he desperately looked for the sign of a condom. _Kids say weird shit these days!_ "Just...Don't tell anyone about this alright?"

A long silence ensued as he found his clothing and managed to slip it on. She finished faster than him (and he was wondering if it wasn't the first time, in another sense). Celica stood up and gave him a wink before slipping him a comment that would tingle at the back of his consciousness for the rest of the day, and many more. "You were a quick shot, not gonna lie. But you tasted pretty good."

"SH-SHUT UP!" Celica giggled. A pretty, yet annoying laugh that felt like a mother patting a child on the head.

"Well, I'll see you out on the battlefield. Don't get shot down too quickly, now." The door slid open, flooding the room with light from the halls before leaving him in darkness once again.

* * *

Of course, that last comment was easier said than done. That Xingke guy set a trap for them, and naturally, he was caught in the middle of it all. They managed to bring down the Chinese government, bring it back up, and ally themselves with the reformed nation.

And yet again, he was left at a red-light district. Cell Phone in his pocket and awaiting the next order from Zero. "Ahhh shit. I don't know, Watanabe. It's like, yeah, I've had some experience at fighting, but was it really worth it?" He took another sip from the bottle. "Sure I've managed back before the whole zero thing, but every time I'm in a knightmare, BAM!" He slapped the table, and the bottle next to him fell over and spilled all over the bar's floor.

"Well now. This is a surprise." And of all the places she had to be...It was in this same place he'd frequented for ten years without seeing anyone looking over the age of twenty walking in. The whole night, this girl had been sitting next to him and only when his lips were off the bottle did he realize she was even there.

Celica looked pretty good to, to be honest. The black lace dress contrasted against her green hair rather nicely. _Gah! Cut that crap out! _"Let me guess...You're pregnant?" He whimpered.

"You spill a girl's drink and that's the first thing you think to say? No wonder you're just sitting here all night by yourself."

"...So that's a no."

"No. Dumbass. Are you going to clean up your mess now?"

Tamaki, half-drunk and beginning to see the old "her" again, stood up to say something before the bartender, Watanabe, gave him a raised eyebrow. "You're not the only source of business around here, dude. Just saying."

He sighed, trying not to look at the girl's smug grin as he leaned over with a fistful of napkins to clean up after himself. "So why are you out here?"

Her fingers tapped against the bar, playing with the wooden grooves alongside it. "I heard they served good pizza. The best kind of food mankind has ever invented in my humble opinion."

"You? Humble? Psh..."

Celica ignored him, ordering another drink before leaning her head on the bar's edge and continuing to watch him as he felt her presence from above. "And why are you here? Out to drown your sorrows when you're not getting plowed on the battlefield?"

He finished wiping up and shot her a frown. It was coy before, but now she was starting to get on his nerves again. "I'm kidding. Calm down! To your credit, I think you did a little better back in China."

He finished wiping up, ignoring her as he walked to the end of the bar, dumped the napkins into the trash, and walked back over. "How about this? I pay for your next drink and perhaps I can have a slice?"

She put her finger to her lips again. Her golden eyes glimmered with mischief as they scanned over the bar full of middle-aged men whom he'd befriended. Tamaki braced for it, and prayed to god it wouldn't be too embarrassing. This would be an easy way to free dinner, but giving up his dignity would be asking too much. "Sure," was all she said. He blinked, pulled out some Britannian dollars and watched as the bartender handed her another bottle.

"About your age..." Celica immediately rolled her eyes at this with an annoyance that seemed so oddly sincere.

"Let's just say I'm 22 for god's sake, alright? You're an awfully curious man, I'll give you that."

He leaned in, letting the noise of the bar drown out their talking as he looked around. "Some of these guys wouldn't care, but I like my women...properly aged. Like fine wine, if you get my gist."

Celica shook her head, smiled to herself and mouthed a silent joke to herself as she took a sip. He took his, and their eyes matched. "We're all stressed out, Mr. Shinichiro. Perhaps you disagree, but a little fun needs to be had to keep an army's morale up. You're far from my first, and I've slept with much older men anyway..."

They didn't make girls like Celica often. That was for sure. "Alright, alright let's stop the pillow talk..."

"Why? You have thin skin or something? You weren't too bad, if I do say so myself." That same damn smirk.

"ANYWAY...Is there anything new on the schedule for the Black Knights?" He adjusted his collar, doing his best to look a little more relaxed and confident. Anything to fool this little minx and deter more of her snark.

She shrugged. "Keep this between us, but he's off visiting his real mistress right now." Tamaki found himself wondering who she could possibly be. Maybe she was an eleven girl from a village or some sexy redhead Britannian lady.

"Well, since we're on the topic of Zero.." Tamaki rubbed his beard, wondering how he should word this. "You got any funny facts about him? 'Not askin' ya to reveal his identity or anything..."

Celica immediately put one of her pretty little hands to her mouth to stifle a giggle. "He wears a speedo when he swims. The packaging down there is rather...Compressed."

Tamaki just stared at her, not quite sure what to say to that while he was tipsy like this. "Oh, kayy. Anything less lewd?"

She took another sip, keeping an eye on him and scanning him from head to toe. "Well he does keep a little book handy of everything he does and spends."

"One of those types, eh?"

There was a lot of weird stuff he found out on that night. That he folded his clothes in a specific order (white shirts, colored shirts, pants, socks and underwear), that he preferred a specific brand of distilled water and he had a semi fear of the dark whenever he was alone in the room.

"This Zero guy sounds kinda like a kid at times."

Celica just blinked at him and shrugged. "I've been around long enough to know that truth is stranger than fiction."

"I'm holding a conversation with you. Makes sense." She smiled and opened her arms for the pizza. They shared it and watched some dumb tv show on the TV up above. Each of them commenting on the actors and how stupid reality shows was.

* * *

Things were like that for the next few weeks. Sometimes they planned it, other times she was wandering around the area and they'd hit up the nearest pizza place or bar that served any that could be considered decent. For Tamaki, it brought him a certain sense of peace. Like he could do whatever the Black Knight hideout asked him to, and then make his way through the streets of the city he knew so well with a pretty girl. It'd been a while since he'd gotten to do that sort of thing. "Now you're just trying to flatter me."

"Heh, is it working?"

She just rolled her breadstick in the garlic sauce a little more and smiled. "I'll let you guess..."

"Heh. Moron..."

"Dumbass.." Perhaps it was the lady-like maturity. The way she carried herself so much so that he began to see past her looks and feel as if there was a woman who knew more about the world than he ever could. As if he'd been left behind somehow in the march of time and Celica was some sort of magician that could just travel through any fold of it.

They were stocking ammunition for the Knightmares. A few rockets, some belts of ammo, then they would be let off a little early. Apparently Zero had some "business" to attend to in town and didn't want to be held up.

Celica was walking with him. Dressed in black again and looking damn good in it. They were chatting, Zero going on about the plans for the upcoming battle in Tokyo. As they were walking past, Tamaki managed to hold his load just long enough to stare over at her. Celica looked back and he thought he could see her lips begin to stretch into a mischievous grin before Zeros weirdly imposing visor snapped to his direction.

"Are loads almost finished, Mr. Shinichiro?" He fumbled the stack in his hands but managed to put in enough elbow-grease to catch it. "Ye-yeah! You bet, Zero! I'll have this all done in the hour!" Looking back, Tamaki wondered how he had managed to lift his left arm for a salute.

Celica leaned past him and gave a thumbs-up. "Just don't hurt yourself!" She winked, and the two continued on their way.

Down the walkway Zero turned to her. "I see you're taking an interest in our workforce..."

"It's only in our best interest. They're just as important as we are." He sniggered beneath the helmet. Sniggered. Something he never did unless...

"Oh please!"

"We both know you've had plenty of time for experience. It's your choice that surprises me the most.."

She gave him a soft shove. "And you're any better for chasing that schoolgirl?"

"At least she's not a few centuries younger than I am. But I'm not one to judge. We have more pressing matters at hand."

"Zero" kept going on about the plan, while C. C. could only stand by and know that he had dirt on her. She sighed and resolved to find a way to get back at him.

* * *

That night, he got a text.

Hey,

Meet me in the training grounds at 8:00. Come alone.

Celica

"What the hell..." He wasn't quite sure what to think. He'd only had one beer and then had planned to grab a little something to eat and maybe they would meet up. Never before had she invited him back around anywhere near the hideout. Regardless, he took the bus back over there and made his way through all of the security measures with minimal problems. He walked out, and in front of him was a Glasgow, armed with a large pipe. Celica stood ready, dressed in a rather alluring white pilot suit.

"Woah..." She stood tall, confident, and unbelievably sexy.

She laughed at him as he walked out. "Are you thinking about ravishing me again!?"

He put his hands out and tried to shush her, but a few Black Knights walking past in the hangars behind them leaned in and whispered amongst themselves. Great. "Soooo...Why are you dressed like that?"

"Because I'm about to perform ballet on top of this Sutherland here. It'll put the best dancers around the globe to shame."

"You're joking right?"

"Get in the Knightmare. I'm teaching you how to hold your own." She walked up to him, hands on her hips and a daring stare tunneling into him. Celica walked up until she could lean in close enough to put her lips to his ear. Her scent was like that of pine and pizza sauce. "If you think you're good enough."

A grin crossed his lips. "Of course I am." If there was ever a moment to get back at her as he'd always wanted to, now was the time. Of course, it had been toned down since the start of their...Friendship? It should have felt odd to put it like that, but Tamaki found himself thinking of the term as natural as anything else. Odd how life turned out like that.

He got inside of the Glasgow, in civilian wear and with a beer still in him. "Well then, show me what you've got!"

It was later on that he realized his confidence was a little misplaced by the alcohol. Before him stood a black and gold-colored Knightmare frame resembling that Anybis god or whatever from Egyptian mythology. "This frame specializes in ranged attacks, so I'll have to go easy on you."

"Hey! I can take a hit or two! Ask them!" He pointed to a group of knights passing by in the walkways surrounding the hangar. A couple of them coughed, one guy adjusted his collar and the third guy walked off. Just then, Tamaki felt a metallic hand slam into the side of his frame's face.

The evening strolled by, and while he had his ass handed to him once or fifteen times, Celica had him dodging just a little quicker by the time they needed to power down. She gracefully fell out of her cockpit, white outfit still shining and clean, as she flipped her hair. On the other side of the hangar, Tamaki crumbled out, groaning about the whiplash in his neck. "Gahh, well...Perhaps I could have done better, huh?"

"You're starting to react faster, so I'd be lying if I said we didn't beat some sense into you. Good job." He felt Celica pat him on the head. He grabbed her arm and was swiftly pulled back to his feet fast enough to make him stumble a step.

"Now, I'm not one to tell people not to put in their bodies but...Ease off the beer. It's slowing you down."

Tamaki sighed a laugh, realizing that he was a little sweaty and probably stank to high heaven. "What, you worried about me or something?"

She raised an eyebrow and gave him a gentle smack on the head. He reached for the afflicted spot as she pointed to a leftover bucket. "Didn't Zero himself appoint you as our Internal Cleaning Supporter. Our facilities would surely turn to waste if we didn't have you!"

"Har Har..." Tamaki took a deep breath, wondering if he was supposed to run a few laps, but then realized she had taken a moment not to berate him. "So, uh...You ready for some pizza? It might have to be a small one because I'm not really..." Celica's eyes weren't meeting his. A short silence followed before she cleared her throat and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Zero is planning something big." She looked over and it was only then that Tamaki took note of how many Knightmare frames were being moved around them. Trucks and loading frames moving ammunition and weaponry about all around them.

"Something big? Are we invading Britannia or something?" She shrugged her shoulders and turned around.

"It's not something I can disclose...Things are changing..." Celica was a stoic kind of girl. If he tried to push about all of the stuff about her real past, she'd just ignore it and make another rude joke. He'd play along with it, make a comment about whatever they were eating or someone in the bar/restaurant with them and they'd move on.

And here it was once again, in a place that he'd least expected it. "I don't think I can join you tonight. I'm sorry..."

A pang of disappointment rippled into him, but Tamaki shrugged it off. "Okay. What about tomorrow or...?"

"I don't think we can anymore." She fiddled with her hands, the back of her head a curtain of green. "Life is a lot longer than you think. Time just keeps moving and people come and go. Thanks for being part of it. Even if it wasn't for that long."

"Celica, you're starting to talk kinda weird..."

Without another word, Celica walked away. Just like that. The rather revealing white pilot suit revealed no more as she moved away from his sight. "CELICA! C-Celica?" Tamaki felt a vague sense of helplessness. In no time the odd stench of oil and metal in the hangar had gone from the backdrop of another fun night to the cold and uncertain nature of his current line of work.

"Did I do something wrong?" A rack of Gareths being carried by a massive truck blocked his sight of her as she disappeared down the hall. When it passed, she was already gone.

* * *

Tamaki slumped down on the couch in the Ikaruga's lounge room. Today, they had attempted to confront Zero about the lies he'd been feeding them all this time. Over a year of risking life and limb in his name, and he was a goddamn Britannian prince. Luchuel Vic Britiannia or something. Now all he could do was stare at the wall and wonder about the small things. How many friends from college he left behind for this, how many had joined and had died.

It was a crushing feeling, to have a cool guy like Zero turn out to be just another con man. Many like him had emerged in circles and pockets of rebellion but never to the extent that Zero did. He was a giant amongst them and now he'd just flown out of the hangar with that Britannian kiss-ass.

He shifted a little, listening to his shouting comrades as they ran through the passageways around him. Kallen was going to have a fit when they freed her from that new Guren. Tamaki stood up, contemplating whether or not he should shout at their dumb asses to keep it down when weight shifted in his pocket. His cell phone. In the brief moment that he stood, he realized that a lot of those same people were still in his contacts.

Morbid curiosity overtaking his anger, Tamaki spent the next few minutes calling the ones he knew to be gone. As if to somehow confirm that yes, they had indeed all fallen on the battlefield. Most of them were dial tones, and the more recent losses left voicemail messages.

"Sorry guys...I really am...I just..." Another long exhale into this empty lounge. Life really was shitty sometimes.

Tamaki was about to close his phone and go for a walk around the Ikaruga. Maybe Ohgi was around or maybe Kallen was out and about so he could try to deliver the news in a way that wouldn't utterly destroy her. It was then that he noticed her number at the bottom of the contacts list.

"Celica...Shit..." She'd left so suddenly. The Battle of Tokyo came and went, and even though he got his ass kicked, the reaction time she'd beaten into him was probably the sole reason that he was still alive. Since then he hadn't heard anything about her. "She hasn't even called or sent a text. I gotta thank her though. For that and more. Saving my stupid ass..."

He pressed the receiver dial and anticipated some kind of remark about him being lonely and needing a booty call. She answered the phone alright. And it was like talking to a damn kid. "H-hello?'

"Hey, Celica. This is Tamaki. What's up!?"

Some fumbling and shifting emerged from the other side of the receiver. "Uhhh...Who is this?"

"Tamaki. Shinichiro! Your drinking buddy! What's the matter? Don't you...?" She was talking to someone. Whispering something. He heard the phone fumble again and this time a young man's voice overtook her questions in the background.

"Sorry. Wrong number." The call ended, and he was left alone amongst a confused battleship, of which he was very much a part of.

* * *

Time passed. Charles died and the supposed man that took the role of Zero took the throne with his real best buddy and redhead girlfriend. He was there when the Black Knights, led by Ohgi and Kallen, joined with him and stopped his even crazier older brother, founding a better empire and a future for the Japanese.

Everything was said and done, and now he stood at his bar on a slow Monday night. It was his turn to be behind the bar and tonight. And it sucked. And blew. And any other oral sex shit you could say about it. He was wiping an old vomit stain from a younger guy a few days back that took a bit more of the bottle than he should've because of his damn friends. In a way though, it made him a little nostalgic.

"You missing her?" Kisuke, a fellow Black Knight from back in the day was having his nightly drink at the end of the bar.

"Who?"

"That lovely little lady that kicked your ass with the Gawain that one night." Tamaki just shrugged, washing out an extra glass he missed earlier.

"Uh...Yeah...Yeah, I guess." He averted his eyes and didn't say anything. Kisuke took a sip from his drink and just didn't say much. It wasn't that they couldn't contact each other, or that she was out of reach. He knew that green head of hair the moment he saw it on TV, standing by the Emperor and Empress as a kind of advisor. "Who are you kidding...She's got time for better things.."

Celica and that Lelouch guy had conquered the world together and he just had to accept that. Chiba and Tohdoh were expecting a kid, the bridge bunnies were all off to college to get decent jobs and start lives for themselves, and Kallen was leading any knights left as an anti-terrorist task force. Ironic.

"Heh, the old days are gone. They've gone and left their old buddy behind." It was fine though. There were some good people out here tonight. Kisuke, Old Man Yamada, Celica, Jacob...Wait.

"What are you so mopey about?" She took a bite from her pizza. It was then that Tamaki realized why they were making it just a few minutes ago in the back. Yet again, his senses had failed him.

"You knew they were just making thi-"

"Yeah, yeah I know!" He cleared his voice, looking around and making sure that his bar wouldn't be emptied by another bout of his shouting. "So..."

"It's boring up in the palace. All of my work is done for the week and Lelouch has cursed me with free time."

"Cursed? I'd be out partying."

She rolled her eyes and pointed to the glass at the bar. "I went to where the party was." He raised a brow and glossed over the bar, wondering why she would want to party with a bunch of old...

"Oh, OH!" Heads turned when her palm met her forehead. "Well, what do you wanna do? I still have a few hours of work."

She leaned back in her seat, letting herself sink into the cushion. "There's been a lot of noise around the palace lately. I was wondering if you'd be willing to play something more...Stimulating." He saw that wink and knew what to do.

Tamaki reached underneath the bar, making sure no other customers were coming in as he lifted the guitar, stood up and started crying out those lyrics in a passionate voice that somehow didn't shatter the glass of everyone in the room. "SHE LOVES TO LAUGH, SHE LOVES TO SING, SHE DOES EVERYTHING!"

Celica's face turned red. From embarrassment, from laughter. From the feeling of being just an ordinary young woman after having wished for death for so long. The fact remained that she was alive and here to enjoy living in its fullest. And this idiot right here was one of the reasons why. She whispered a silent thanks to Lelouch for suggesting this and sat back to watch the show before enjoying the rest of the evening with the man performing it. He was just another guy. Rash and not the smartest guy out there, but there was something natural and comforting in that. "Ah...What a dumbass."

NOTE: Yes, the unofficial theme for this fic is Anyway You Want It by Journey. Great song.


End file.
